Baird, Clement and rookie MPs promoted in cabinet shuffle

Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled his new majority government cabinet Wednesday, keeping several MPs in key ministries, but promoting heavyweights John Baird and Tony Clement while welcoming a series rookies into important posts.

“I believe this cabinet does represent the right mix of experience and new blood,” Mr. Harper told a press conference after unveiling his 39-person cabinet. “Any hockey coach will tell you for a team to keep winning over time it has to maintain a core of veterans and gradually blend in new talent over time.”

John Baird, the Ottawa-area MP nine days shy of his 42nd birthday, takes over as foreign affairs minister, a post vacated when Lawrence Cannon lost his Quebec riding.

A Tory stalwart who often acts as Mr. Harper’s point man on controversial issues, Mr. Baird has held a series of cabinet posts including the environment and transportation portfolio, treasury board secretary and most recently acted as house leader, a post taken over by Peter Van Loan.

Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, who resigned from the foreign affairs post in 2008 amid controversy, was welcomed back into cabinet on Wednesday, albeit in a junior role as minister of state for small business and tourism. Of the five Conservative MPs remaining in Quebec, four were appointed to cabinet.

“He was reelected and was worthy of being given this opportunity,” Mr. Harper said of Mr. Bernier, who remains popular in the province.

Others include Christian Paradis, the former natural resources minister who becomes Canada’s new industry minister, while Denis Lebel is being promoted to transport minister. Stephen Blaney becomes the new veterans affairs minister. It was an unexpectedly significant promotion for the three-term MP, who chaired the Conservative caucus of Quebec and served on a series of Parliamentary committees.

In another high-profile shuffle, former industry minister Tony Clement assumes the post of Treasury Board president after the retirement of Stockwell Day. The Ontario MP weathered controversy as the minister in charge of the government’s decision to block the attempted takeover of Potash Corp. by Australia’s BHP Billiton last year. In his new role, Mr. Clement will hold the purse strings as the government tries to whittle down its massive budget deficit.

Several rookie MPs skipped a term on the back benches to be appointed straight to cabinet. They include Joe Oliver, the former head of the Ontario Securities Commission who toppled longtime Liberal MP Joe Volpe in Toronto and Peter Penashue, the former head of the Innu Nation in Labrador, who handed the Conservatives their lone seat in Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Oliver assumes the role of natural resources minister, while Mr. Penashue gets the nod at intergovernmental affairs.

Newly-elected New Brunswick MP Bernard Valcourt, a seasoned Mulroney cabinet minister who left federal politics nearly 20 years ago, takes over as minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and la francophonie.

Julian Fantino, who has headed some of the largest police forces in Canada, was swiftly promoted from the seniors portfolio to the post as associate minister of National Defence. While not a new MP, he was first elected just six months ago in a byelection in the former Liberal stronghold of Vaughan.

But while cabinet will see several fresh faces, other prominent new MPs were shut out of cabinet despite their impressive professional resumes. They include Chris Alexander, a former ambassador to the United Nations and to Afghanistan, and Bernard Trottier, who toppled Michael Ignatieff in his Toronto riding.

Mr. Harper said his cabinet appointments reflected his governments focus on “stability and continuity” and implementing the priorities outlined in its defeated spring budget.

“I didn’t want to make too many additional changes unless I had to,” he said. “There are many new members of Parliament who will get the opportunity to serve in other roles and gain political experience.

Many high-profile cabinet posts remained unchanged, notably Jason Kenney at Citizenship and Immigration, Jim Flaherty as Finance Minister and Peter MacKay as Minister of Defense.

Bev Oda remained the minister for the Canadian International Development Agency, despite running into controversy over altering a funding document for a non-government organization during her recent tenure.

Others who kept their portfolios include Environment Minister Peter Kent, Rona Ambrose as Minister of Public Works, Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour John Duncan as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Vic Towes, Minister of Public Safety and Diane Finlay in human resources.

MPs demoted from their cabinet positions include Rob Moore, formerly minister of state for small business. He was shut out of cabinet as francophone Mr. Valcourt assumes one of two cabinet positions normally reserved for the province. Alberta MP Rob Merrifield, who served as minister of state for Transport, was also dropped, replaced by Manitoba MP Stephen Fletcher, the first quadriplegic to serve in cabinet.